This relates to wireless electronic devices, and, more particularly, to antenna structures for wireless electronic devices.
Electronic devices such as computers and handheld electronic devices are often provided with wireless communications capabilities. For example, electronic devices may use cellular telephone circuitry to communicate using cellular telephone bands. Electronic devices may use short-range wireless communications links to handle communications with nearby equipment. For example, electronic devices may communicate using the WiFi® (IEEE 802.11) bands at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz and the Bluetooth® band at 2.4 GHz.
To satisfy consumer demand for small form factor wireless devices, manufacturers are continually striving to implement wireless communications circuitry such as antenna components using compact structures. For example, antennas have been installed within the clutch barrel portion of portable computer housings. A portable computer clutch barrel contains hinges that allow the lid of the portable computer to open and close. In computers in which antennas have been mounted in the clutch barrel, the outer surface of the clutch barrel has been formed from plastic. The plastic is transparent at radio frequencies, so the antennas in the clutch barrel and transmit and receive radio-frequency antenna signals.
If care is not taken, however, antennas that are mounted in this way may exhibit performance variations as the lid of the computer is open and closed, may be subject to undesired losses, or may not exhibit satisfactory performance in configurations with small clutch barrels or multiple antennas.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved ways in which to provide electronic devices such as portable computers with antennas.